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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26038900">Dungeoneer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/serPiero/pseuds/serPiero'>serPiero</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls Online</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Altmer (Elder Scrolls), Dungeon, Elsweyr (Elder Scrolls), F/M, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Sex, Khajiit (Elder Scrolls), Porn With Plot, Protectiveness, Rimmen Necropolis, Size Difference, Size Kink, Sorcerers, Strangers to Lovers, Two Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:29:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26038900</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/serPiero/pseuds/serPiero</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>S'vani always prided herself in being able to complete any dungeon on her own. However, when she faces the dangerous labyrinth of Rimmen Necropolis, the young Khajiit woman realizes assistance must find her soon, or death be the consequence.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Original Male Altmer Character(s)/Original Female Khajiit Character(s) (Elder Scrolls)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dungeoneer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi I've been obsessed with ESO recently, and so I decided to test the waters of fanfic writing with a good ol' fashion one-shot (edit: two-shot); also there's not enough love for Khajiit with other races imo</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>S'vani sat hunched against the cool stone wall, heaving, trying to catch her breath. Her fur stood on end as she heard another disembodied yowl in the distance, and she hunched closer into the darkness in order to hide herself from whatever horror was out there still, waiting for her. Her shaking grip tightened on her overheated staff, her fresh injuries twinging as she tensed.</p><p>She had been so utterly foolish to think she could brave her way through this dungeon on her own. The man at the entrance had warned her she would fare much better in such a place if she was with at least one other, and that usually people did not attempt brave this dungeon without a group of four. Unfortunately, S'vani had grown cocky in her travels. Facing bandit filled caves, vicious desert wilds, and even a dragon on her own, she had thought one more dungeon would be no problem for her- that she would grab the treasures within, defeat the boss(es), and scamper on her way to the next shithole.</p><p>Oh how wrong she had been.</p><p>Upon entering from the main entrance, the front area had been wide and cavernous, with a large bridge leading to a platform. The platform had stairs leading down on either side of it, and another bridge to cross if one went straight, which lead to a long staircase going upwards and to a locked door at the top. S'vani had turned left at first, following the staircase down and through a doorway, from which she was accosted by both Dremora and Daedra, attacking her with fire whips and dark magic and horribly large, sharp, pointy weapons. She had first tried to fight, summoning her own Daedra from Oblivion to aid her, and cloaking herself in lighting, but it was soon clear that they not only outnumbered her but were also much, much stronger. S'vani chose to flee once she realized the danger she was in, and barely made it out in one piece, albeit with some singed fur. She had deliberated on what to do as she caught her breath, and decided to try the right side as well before risking fighting the Daedra again.</p><p>As soon as she had stepped foot on the top of the steps, she chanced to look down, and had made horribly long eye contact with a lich who was waiting by the doorway, leering at her as skeletons shambled around it. Looking back, S'vani thought, she had made such a foolish mistake continuing on like some kind of dull clawed idiot. She had made it through the fight, only to be met with another, and another, and another, all within this giant labyrinth of a dungeon. There was no boss in sight and only hordes of undead that never seemed to end, and each group she ran into took long enough to defeat on her own that the skeletons she had already fought would reassemble themselves behind her and leave their mark once again.</p><p>At one point she had managed to wander into the other section of the cave, the one filled with the Daedra. They made quick work of her, using their magic to drain her energy and leave painful burns and cuts that could take hours of nursing with her weak conjuration healing to heal. She had already run out of health potions after foolishly using them on too many small wounds when she had begun her journey here.</p><p>At this point, S'vani didn't care about the treasure, or the glory, or checking another thing off her list. She just wanted to leave this gods forsaken labyrinth alive, and every chance she got she swore up to Alkosh that she would give up gold, or her bad habits, or swearing her great great something grandchild to him for servitude. Of course the only answers she seemed to get included shambling skeletons coming toward her or Dremora stepping on her tail.</p><p>S'vani hesitantly looked around the corner of the wall she was huddled against, having thought she heard another yowl, and this time closer. Some dust shook down from the ceiling as the walls rumbled slightly. She swallowed and quickly checked herself over to make sure her new wounds weren't in need of immediate care. She stood in a crouch and slunk around the ruined wall she had been huddled against. The skeletons she had defeated close to her hiding spot were still down, so she cautiously limped around them and into another tunnel. </p><p>Her breathing came in heavy pants as she loped down the tunnel, holding her side, throwing fearful looks over her shoulder as she progressed. Her magicka was still recharging so she would be in trouble if she ran into a group as big as the last one she had defeated so soon. Not to mention she had most certainly been lost in this labyrinth for nearly two days and was exhausted. S'vani knew deep in her bones that she would die here if no one came to her aid; she was too deep in to fight back the way she had come.</p><p>Suddenly, there was a large electric explosion from the direction of where she had just come, it shook the walls and static flashed through the air as a disembodied voice howled, and a formation of rocks came falling down onto S'vani abruptly. Her groan of pain from the force was interrupted by the wind being knocked out of her as she was thrown to the ground. </p><p>"<em>Ziss</em>!" she croaked out, swearing, coughing the dust out of her lungs. </p><p>Her breathing rattled too loudly in the sudden silence after as she struggled to sit up, her vision spinning and her side feeling wet from her old wound being torn open again. S'vani cursed and urged herself to stand but the sharp twinge in her leg told her it had been badly hurt when the stones had fallen. She went completely still, her body flushing with fear as she realized she would die here, eyes beginning to tear in dread.</p><p>"Oh no, no, no..." her breathing came out even faster now as she began to stress, her tail lashing around behind her, and she thought of how she wanted to see her mother again, and her father, and the moons. She was too young for it to all end here, in this dirty cave where she was sure to join the ranks of all the skeletons she had fought through for nothing.</p><p>Stand up, she thought to herself, stand up! </p><p>She grit her teeth and fought through the pain, standing, but as soon as she put the slightest amount of pressure on her leg it shot through with such agony that she immediately crumpled to the ground again. She began crying in earnest now, rolling onto her side to sob into the dirt as she cradled her wounds. She was such a fool, S'vani thought to herself for perhaps the thirtieth time that day.</p><p>There was a sudden crunch nearby of a footstep and S'vani did not bother to look up, accepting her fate.</p><p>"Oh my, are you alright?"</p><p>Quieting her crying, it took her a moment to realize that what she was hearing was not, in fact, a clacking skeleton but a person's voice. She snapped her head over to look at them and they slightly jumped from the abruptness of it. There was an awkward pause before the stranger took a hesitant step forward.</p><p>"S...S'vani is not dreaming, yes? You are real?" she breathed out finally, slightly sitting up.</p><p>The man, yes, it was most certainly a man, relaxed, chuckling slightly and wandered closer to her. He was wrapped in elaborate white and silver robes of fine quality and had a hood covering most of his features. He held his staff out in front and summoned a small dim ball of light to hover above them. As he knelt next to her, she noticed that he was an Altmer, a High Elf. She had not met many other races besides her own and wondered how he had found himself to be in this dungeon in the middle of Anequina. She thanked Alkosh all the same, choosing not to look a gift Senche-raht in the mouth.</p><p>"My, you certainly have been roughed up quite a bit, haven't you?" he told her as he glanced her over with a furrowed brow. </p><p>"This one was doing ok until the rocks fell on her," S'vani croaked stubbornly.</p><p>The Altmer seemed confused for a moment, "Falling rocks?"</p><p>Wincing, "It was like the whole world shook," she took a moment to clear her throat, "the ceiling nearly caved in."</p><p>He suddenly became sheepish, "Ah, yes, well," he hummed as he seemed to think of his wording, "spells can be quite potent, especially in a small spacing such as this one, it would only be pertinent that the shock waves would travel and cause some disturbances of the environment surrounding."</p><p>S'vani blinked at him in suspicion as the reason for the blast dawned on her, eyeing his staff, "So, <em>you</em> are the one who made the rocks fall."</p><p>Having apparently not heard her, he turned away, stashing his staff on his back, and pulled a large healing potion out of his satchel and uncorked it. Her ears immediately pricked forward.</p><p>"Here," he offered, "this should help stop the bleeding and some pain but those wounds look deep. I'll have to take a look at them, and reset that leg of yours."</p><p>She snatched the potion from him as he spoke and greedily poured it into her mouth, dropping the bottle afterwards. She groaned happily as the burn of it flashed through her body, making her feel numb as her brain buzzed. She flopped down on the cool ground, her arms spread. </p><p>S'vani could not keep the purr out of her voice, "This one thanks you," and grinned up at him.</p><p>He gave her an indiscernible look, pausing, then eventually asking, "Can you stand?"</p><p>"Perhaps now, with some help."</p><p>"It's a good thing I am here to help, then," he responded with a smile.</p><p>She quickly sat up, her head swimming a moment, "Truly?" she gasped out, fully absorbing what he had been saying.</p><p>Giving her an odd look, "Of course, you didn't think I would simply leave you here to die, did you? I may not know you but I am not that heartless. As I said, I would take a look at your wounds."</p><p>S'vani burst into tears yet again and the Altmer became very flustered, not sure what to do as he had never seen a Khajiit cry before.</p><p>"Are- are you alright?! Do you need another healing potion?"</p><p>"S'vani thought she was going to die! S'vani is so relieved right now she <em>could</em> die!"</p><p>"I-I see... please though, stop crying, could you?" he cleared his throat awkwardly.</p><p>She quickly tried to stem her crying, wiping her eyes and taking deep breaths. Sniffling, she looked up at him in an admittedly pitiful way, sitting in the dirt. The ball of summoned light fizzled out.</p><p>He sighed, standing, and held his hands out to her.</p><p>"Come on, I'll help you up. Let's get out of here before those skeletons come looking for us."</p><p>She reached her hands forward and into his strong grip, surprised to find just how large the Altmer's hands were. S'vani had heard that Altmer were the tallest of all the races, but she had never had the chance to actually see for herself just how much. As S'vani was unsteadily brought to her feet, wobbling uncertainly on her twinging leg, she realized with a jolt that her head came only to his chest as he towered over her.</p><p>He seemed to notice this as well, though for different reasons, "It may be too slow if you lean on me," he thought a moment, "I hope you do not mind if I carry you on my back?"</p><p>"Ah... no... this one does not mind," S'vani answered hesitantly, hoping he did not grip her injured leg too tightly, "though she wonders how you might fight if you are carrying her on your back. S'vani just escaped death, she has no wish to rush to meet it again so soon."</p><p>He laughed, squeezing her still-held hands, and assured her it would be fine. She hummed at him uncertainly but ultimately relented, allowing herself to be lead carefully around him and shuffled onto his broad back where he hoisted her up gently, gripping her furred thighs with his warm hands. She felt slightly embarrassed at realizing her robes had to be ridden up in order for her legs to wrap around him. Her body pressed against the staff on his back and though it was uncomfortable she said nothing as he would have nowhere else to carry it.</p><p>Suddenly she realized, "Ah! S'vani's staff! She dropped it when she fell," and tried twisting around to look despite the burning in her side.</p><p>"Your staff? You are a sorcerer? Perhaps a templar?" He seemed pleasantly surprised at this.</p><p>"Sorcerer," she responded impatiently, "and this one dropped her staff, she needs to find it."</p><p>He was about to respond before he was interrupted by sudden multiple rattling groans down the hall where they both had come from. S'vani's tail fluffed up as she looked down the tunnel in alarm, her arms tightening around the Altmer's neck.</p><p>"I suppose it will have to be left behind I'm afraid, we need to get going before they realize we are here."</p><p>Without waiting for a response, he jumped into action, sprinting down the tunnel with long strides as S'vani held onto him for dear life. He seemed to know the tunnels well, as each time she thought she saw a group of enemies, he suddenly detoured down a different tunnel, avoiding them altogether. The few times they ran into mobs they couldn't avoid, he would gesture with a hand and a massive ball of lightning would shoot out and demolish the skeletons in one or two thorough blows. She was speechless by the time they reached what was apparently his destination: a small hidden alcove. There was a small unlit fire pit and a tent set up, as well as a pack leaning against said tent with a basket full of what looked like dried meats and herbs next to it.</p><p>It was a campsite.</p><p>The Altmer slowly crouched and allowed her to gingerly slide onto the ground before the fire pit. She sat, still speechless at how he had razed his way through such difficult enemies without effort, staring into the ashes before her. </p><p>"You did not get hurt any more did you?" she heard him ask, and she minutely shook her head.</p><p>"Are you in a lot of pain?" another small shake of her head.</p><p>"I'm going to begin treating your wounds, I hope you do not mind me laying my hands on you too much. I might have to tear some of your robes as well, but the potion will wear off soon so I need to take care of you as soon as possible," he sounded sorry.</p><p>"S'vani does not mind," she mumbled, not looking at him still.</p><p>S'vani had lived her whole life in Northern Elsweyr, so of course she could not compare to some high born adventurer who came all the way from Summerset or Auridon or wherever the Altmer was from. He probably had had professional magic training, she'd heard they did over there from a young age. Not only that, but Anequina was inland so one had to travel through at least one other continent to reach it, and if the Altmer was from where she thought, he would have to cross a violent and pirate filled ocean as well to get here.</p><p>She heaved a sigh. She had a long way to go if she wanted to become as good a sorcerer as him.</p><p>The Altmer paused in what he was doing, glancing up at her.</p><p>"Are you alright?" </p><p>"Hm? Oh, yes, S'vani is fine," she hummed out distractedly, her mind whirring with places to go to and things to do to make herself stronger. Perhaps joining the Mages Guild would be a good start, rather than selling her services out to people like some type of mercenary. There was a guild hall in Rimmen she'd heard. Real training. Sounds nice.</p><p>"It does not sound like you are fine."</p><p>She deigned not to answer, and soon enough he resumed what he was doing, disinfecting the wounds first before pouring Restoration magic into them. She let out a loud purr in response to the comforting warmth pulling her wounds back together, healing her from the inside out. She felt more than saw his eyes shift up to watch her intently as she continued to purr at his attentions. </p><p>The twinkling of his magic and her rumbling filled the silence for a few moments.</p><p>"I find it... agreeable," he suddenly stated.</p><p>"What? Agreeable? What is agreeable?"</p><p>"Your purring."</p><p>"Ah," she suddenly felt self conscious and did not know how to respond, and despite her efforts at smothering it, her chest continued to purr as he kept pouring healing magic into her. It was just too comforting. Too warm.</p><p>There was an awkward pause before he suddenly cleared his throat.</p><p>"I apologize, that might've been a bit rude. I have not admittedly been around many Khajiit, and none having to do with such, ah, more personal encounters. The Khajiit I have met have just been simple conversation or passers by. I of course have known your people to be cat-like besides appearances, though I must say I had not realize that you might... purr. I find it rather fascinating," he chanced a glance up from his rambling and cleared his throat again, "and somewhat charming."</p><p>S'vani blinked, taken off guard for a moment.</p><p>"Um, thank you?"</p><p>There was another brief pause between them as neither of them seemed to know what to say.</p><p>"Well, this one too," S'vani stated awkwardly in attempts to fill the silence.</p><p>The Altmer gave her a confused look, and she elaborated, "This one has not met many outside her own race, and never an Altmer. She finds you to be..." S'vani thought for a moment, "...large," she settled on. </p><p>He barked out a surprised laugh, his voice taking on a teasing quality, "Yes, well, I suppose that you would think so. Though, to me all of you seem to be quite small."</p><p>Her fur fluffed slightly in embarrassment as she realized he must think her a fool. He let out another laugh.</p><p>They fell into a more comfortable silence as he continued to treat her; adjusting robes to get to injuries, disinfecting fresh cuts, resetting her leg, and continuing to pour healing magic through her body. He was obviously much more skilled than S'vani, as some scabbed over wounds she thought might scar were healed over cleanly with his powerful magic. His hands did not touch her, though she could feel the warmth of them as they glided coyly above her fur, causing her to shiver from the brush of it. It did not take as long as she thought, and though she was left with aching joints and felt exhausted, she felt much better than she had before.</p><p>"I did what I could with your side," the Altmer began, looking troubled, "though it will surely scar. You must have taken a nasty hit with that."</p><p>"Yes, this one was not smart to try and rush a Daedroth," S'vani hummed as she recalled how she had gotten the nasty gash.</p><p>He snapped his face up, and she noticed distantly that his eyes were like molten gold.</p><p>"You tried to <em>rush</em> a <em>Daedroth</em>?! Do you realize how foolish that was? You were lucky you didn't get shredded to pieces! Honestly," he huffed.</p><p>She shrugged meekly in response. Shaking his head, the Altmer stood abruptly, stretching his back. He turned to the tiny fire pit and lit it in an instant with a flare. S'vani immediately felt the warmth of it hum onto her, and she let out a contented sigh, relaxing. The Altmer busied himself around the campsite, going through a few things and adjusting others. He passed briefly by S'vani to hand her some bits of food, which she devoured eagerly. He went back to his pack and pulled out some for himself before seating himself across from her, pulling down his hood.</p><p>She took a moment to stare, drinking in his features.</p><p>Other races looked quite odd to her, and she found herself comparing his features to the other elves she had met: the Bosmer, or Wood Elves. She had grown up in the Stitches, which was far enough in the middle of nowhere and high enough on a cliff that not many wanted to visit it of their own volition. Often they would get travelers stopping to avoid dust storms or bandits and poachers wanting a quick drink at the pub. Of these, the majority were Khajiit, though being close to Valenwood had given the town a fair share of Bosmer wanting to take a shortcut through the wastes. S'vani had also met a few Imperials as well as an Orc, who happened to be the town's resident merchant.</p><p>The Altmer before her was much taller than any Bosmer, or any race for that matter, as she had already noticed. He had odd golden, yellow-tinged skin that glowed in the fire light, and his eyes were almond shaped above high cheekbones, which was a common feature in elves. His jaw was more long and thin rather than square with a widow's peak hairline. His hair itself was long and a silvery blonde, with the front of it pulled back in a twisted bun on the crown of his head while the rest tumbled down his back. His lips were on the thinner side, and his nose was rather long. He seemed to have a permanent furrow in his dark brows but his eyes were gentle. There was a rip through the top of one of his long pointed ears that looked as if someone had started to cut the tip off but was interrupted halfway through.</p><p>He seemed to notice her staring but didn't comment on it, and instead busied himself with eating.</p><p>She suddenly realized something, "S'vani forgot to ask, what is your name?"</p><p>"Oh my! I apologize, look how rude I am being today!" He stood and bowed with a flourish, stating, "My name is Alarnon, it is a pleasure to meet you, miss...?"</p><p>"S'vani," S'vani stated dryly.</p><p>"Yes, well, I did not want to assume," he said cheerfully before seating himself back on the ground.</p><p>They shared a few brief silences between stilted conversation before eventually finding a comfortable rhythm with each other. S'vani found him to be kind, intelligent, and curious, though he had sudden moments of wit and humor that caught her off guard. He looked very pleased with himself whenever he managed to make her laugh. She found out he was part of the Mages Guild, and highly ranked at that, sent out to do research and travel. He certainly acted like it; once the polite introductions were done, he seemed to ask her every little question he could think of.</p><p>"I've heard that there is more than one breed of Khajiit, is this true?"</p><p>"This one thinks that there is about sixteen breeds... or was it seventeen?"</p><p>"Fascinating! And it is all based on the moons?"</p><p>"Mm, more or less."</p><p>"And which breed are you?"</p><p>"Most of Khajiit are Cathay," she explained, then paused, holding out her arms, "This one's father was Cathay-raht; S'vani is a little taller and more muscular than most Khajiit because of this. She also got his stripes." </p><p>He peered closely at her face and glanced at her arms, smiling with amusement, "Yes, you are like a little charcoal tiger."</p><p>She chuffed a laugh, "Did S'vani not just say she was big for Khajiit? She is not little."</p><p>"Little to me, I'm scared I might lose you in these tunnels if I do not keep an eye on you," he joked.</p><p>She was reminded, "Alarnon, you say you are in Anequina to study, so how did you end up in this godsforsaken place?"</p><p>"I originally came to these tunnels to research the reports of odd magical activity, wanting to study a real lich- Elsweyr sure does have a lot of necromancers, by the way- and to my delight discovered Daedric activity here as well! What a boon."</p><p>"So, you are here to collect information on the monsters?" She could not think of a worse way to spend her time.</p><p>"Well, I was," he suddenly became embarrassed, "and I did. But uhm... I... got a little lost. Inside the tunnels. I can't find my way out, to be honest."</p><p>S'vani stared at him, "You-"</p><p>"I know! I know, it's pathetic. I'm not quite used to caves, I'll have you know. Auridon is full of beautiful forests and unique landmarks, and every rock in here looks the same."</p><p>She stared at him a moment longer before roaring with laughter. He huffed at her but fought back a smile.</p><p>"Well, how about you? What are you doing here? I'm hoping you didn't come here just to get gravely injured."</p><p>She sobered quickly and thought for a moment.</p><p>"This one has a goal," she began, and he stared at her quietly, listening, "S'vani wants to explore every single cave and dungeon in Northern Elsweyr, and defeat every boss. She wants to find every rare item, and help every person that needs help. She wants no stone left unturned. And then when she is finished, S'vani wants to do the same in every other country too."</p><p>Alarnon deliberated a moment, then, "That is quite a large goal you have."</p><p>"Yes," S'vani laughed, "though this one has actually met most of her goal these few years; this and Orcrest were the only two places S'vani had left to explore. Well, and kill some of the big bosses wandering the sands. Honestly, this one waited to do these difficult things last."</p><p>He laughed, then offered, "Well, if you still haven't killed the bosses here, perhaps I could help you? I know where they are. Somehow I keep finding my way to them when I try to find the exit."</p><p>S'vani's ears pricked up excitedly.</p><p>"Would you?! S'vani hopes she is not being a burden, but this one really wants to finish what she started, and S'vani cannot do it alone."</p><p>"Yes, it is no bother to me," he smiled, "I would rather be there helping you than not and knowing you'll come back alone and vulnerable in the future to try again."</p><p>She restrained herself from running over to hug him and instead said, "Thank you! You will not regret it. S'vani will show you the way out once we are done."</p><p>He smirked and teased, "Ah, I see, holding my freedom hostage until I do what you want, I understand now."</p><p>S'vani bared her teeth in a grin and stated, "Good, so we're on the same page."</p><p>He laughed before standing.</p><p>"Well, we should get some rest. I know you must be tired. I laid out a separate hide blanket in the tent for you; don't worry, I don't snore."</p><p>She stood as well with a muffled grunt, following him, and hobbled her way to the tent. The inside was small but there was enough room for two people if they were squished shoulder to shoulder. Alarnon simply laid down in his robes and made himself comfortable. She followed suit, albeit with more groaning due to soreness. Through the flap she saw the fire dimming, and eventually fizzle out. S'vani felt the strong line of the arm of the Altmer next to her, radiating heat and making her doze off faster than she was expecting. </p><p>Whatever embarrassment or nervousness she began to feel from lying next to a man quickly faded away in the wave of unconsciousness that hit her.</p><p>She did not know if the gentle "Good night," she heard was Alarnon or her imagination.</p><p> </p><p>The amount of healing magic and herbs forced through her hours prior was certainly making itself known, S'vani thought, as she struggled to wake up through the medicinal haze fogging her brain. The tent was chilly, and she was alone. S'vani saw faint flickering from beyond the tent flap, letting her know Alarnon was awake and had stoked the fire once again.</p><p>She shuffled to her feet with little to no pain, mourning the loss of her warm cover as she wandered outside. </p><p>"Ah, you're awake," came the Altmer's friendly voice from his place by the pit. He seemed to be idly going through some books and papers he had pulled from his pack, with an ink dip pen held in one hand. He set it down and stood as she approached.</p><p>"How long was this one asleep?" S'vani croaked, rubbing the last bits of grogginess from her eyes.</p><p>"More than a normal amount for certain," he quipped offhandedly, though his stiff expression as he looked her over intently belied his concern, "how are your wounds?"</p><p>"Much better," she purred, rolling her shoulder, "S'vani can hardly feel anything." </p><p>Alarnon noticeably relaxed, letting out a breath.</p><p>"That's great," he paused, then, "I was admittedly worried. You had taken a lot of damage."</p><p>"This one must thank you, she would have certainly died if you had not come when you had."</p><p>He seemed uncomfortable for a moment.</p><p>"Yes, and I will not leave you now until we are both safe outside of this place."</p><p>She grinned at him, reminding, "No dead bosses, no outside."</p><p>He huffed a laugh, brightening.</p><p>"I must remind you how absolutely immoral it is to hold my freedom against me like this."</p><p>S'vani barked out a laugh, turning away from him to pick around the campsite for anything to use for the battles they were to fight in soon. She found a few potions and first aid tools, leaving most for Alarnon as they were his. Most of the other things in the crates were food or herbs and she did not hold much use for them in the thick of battle, so she left them. He let out a fake sigh as he packed up whatever it was he had been studying before she had awoken.</p><p>"Not until after breakfast, surely? I had known you Khajiit were animals, but that is just too far."</p><p>"Much better food outside of here," she winked at him, "sooner we finish, sooner we eat."</p><p>S'vani grunted as Alarnon suddenly tossed her a spare staff.</p><p>"Yes, yes, very well, my prison warden," there was a smile in his voice.</p><p>He waved his hand, and the small camp disassembled itself. A few things like the hide blankets and food and herbs went into his pack, though the crates and tent were left.</p><p>Alarnon smirked to himself as he noticed her gawking at the blatant show of powerful telekinetic magic, gestured with his hand for her lead, and then they were off.</p><p> </p><p>S'vani had been foolish to think she would have ever been able to do this dungeon on her own, she thought for perhaps the fifty-fourth time, observing as Alarnon blasted a group of Daedra through a thick stone wall. They had made remarkable time, already having beaten the two bosses found on the lich side of the dungeon. Alarnon had been doing nearly all of the heavy lifting for them, and S'vani was mostly in charge of watching his back occasionally, but mostly making sure herself she didn't die. He didn't seem to mind at all, and even managed to keep a close eye on her even in the thick of battle. She had tripped once, and he had been there in an instant to grab hold of her waist and pull her to him tightly.</p><p>"Be careful," He murmured into her ear, releasing her and whipping back around to gut a Dremora with a hidden dagger as she flushed.</p><p>Soon enough they had cut their way through all of the bosses littered through the tunnels, and S'vani had lead them back to the large main room. Alarnon's golden eyes lit up in excitement.</p><p>"I recognize this place! We are at the entrance," he exclaimed to her, and for once she could see the tiredness seeping into his face as he realized his journey in these caves were nearly over. For some reason her stomach felt uneasy at the concept, though she didn't know why.</p><p>"Alar-" S'vani had begun, not knowing what she was about to say, until she was abruptly cut off as the cavern around them rumbled the second they stepped upon the platform together.</p><p>They both sharply looked up as two figures materialized on the towers that resided on the platform. One was a Dremora, who was closest to them on the left side, and the other was a ghost of a Khajiit. They bickered for a moment before summoning their allies to fight one another, barely paying attention to the elf and beast person who had stepped foot into their area. The Daedra and skeletons clashed, and S'vani swore she spotted a Bone Colossus and Daedroth in the midst before she felt a firm hand pull her quickly behind one of the towers.</p><p>"Shh," Alarnon breathed out anxiously as he watched them with wide eyes. S'vani could practically see the pen in his mind scribbling down as much as he could about what was happening, memorizing it. She recalled distantly that he had originally come here to find out the source of odd monster activity.</p><p>"They haven't noticed we are here yet, though I have no doubt that one will turn out victorious and not be too keen on letting us pass without a fight," he whispered to her, and she nodded grimly.</p><p>"Then we must win," she stated simply, and he turned to her fully, with a considering look on his face.</p><p>"Indeed," he murmured, staring at her a moment, before looking back to the fight.</p><p>It felt like an eon, but soon enough, the skeletons had won, as the Khajiit stood proudly over the corpse of the leader of the Daedra, his sword dripping with black blood.</p><p>"Come out," the ghost's hollow intonation rang out suddenly as he looked over to where the two of them had been hiding. They both stiffened, and Alarnon's hand gripped her forearm tightly where he had still been holding on to her.</p><p>"You defeated our generals and summoned us here to finish our qualms with one another, and now I must finish both of you," he continued with his eerie voice that held no tone to it. S'vani met Alarnon's eyes, urging him forward with a firm look. His resolve seemed to harden and he nodded as he let go of her.</p><p>They stepped out into the open.</p><p>Although the leader was certainly more tough than the other bosses they had fought, he was still just one man and they were a team, working like a well oiled Dwemer machine.</p><p>As both sides got desperate, S'vani suffered a nasty gash across her thigh and she fell with a pained yell. Alarnon let out a shout of rage and quickly finished off the ghost, practically blasting him into Oblivion itself. There was a smear of ectoplasm across the ground, and the sword he had been carrying clattered to the ground loudly in the now silent room. The elf ran over, not looking to see if the Khajiit was truly gone, and knelt by her, summoning up his healing magic immediately.</p><p>Within moments it was scabbed over, Alarnon stopping with a worn out groan as he panted from over magicka use. </p><p>"You're going to be the death of me, S'vani," he slumped over with a sigh, scrubbing his face with his hands tiredly.</p><p>He softened upon seeing her sheepish expression and seemed to shake it off.</p><p>"Well, at least you're alright. And now all of those bosses are dead, so you have no reason to come back here," he said to her pointedly and she laughed as she flopped onto the cold stone beneath her.</p><p>"Yes, this one can hardly believe it," she breathed out happily, and he chuckled.</p><p>She glanced over to him, "Now, you can also never come back," she supplied and his chuckle turned into a laugh.</p><p>"Yes, I suppose so," he said with a gentle expression.</p><p>There was a tension between them that wasn't there before, and S'vani felt her heart beat a little bit faster. She cleared her throat and sat up, attempting to stand. Alarnon was there within a second to steady her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her intimately to his warm side.</p><p>"Got you," he murmured down to her and she flushed, leaning into him. </p><p>They hobbled their way up the stairs to the entrance, before finally making it to the exit door. They both seemed to hesitate before speaking at the same time.</p><p>"Alarnon-"</p><p>"S'vani-"</p><p>Another pause before they laughed together.</p><p>"Go ahead," he said, inclining his head, and she took a moment to collect her thoughts.</p><p>"Thank you," S'vani started, her eyes watering slightly, "for helping this one. In more ways than one. S'vani would not have made it without your help and she is... she is most grateful."</p><p>She hummed, feeling his eyes boring into her, "S'vani has unexpectedly enjoyed the time with you. She hopes... she hopes to see you again."</p><p>Alarnon sighed slightly, his grip tightening just a bit.</p><p>"Me too," he muttered, before raising his voice slightly, clearing his throat, "and it was my pleasure. You helped me, too, you know," he admonished.</p><p>They laughed with each other, and S'vani finally turned to look up at him.</p><p>"Well," she grinned, "shall we go then?"</p><p>They opened the door and stepped into the bright desert before them.</p>
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